The University of Toledo’s Lake Erie Center will host a Lab Open House Monday, Nov. 17, from 5 to 7 p.m.

The lab will include discussions and demonstrations by Lake Erie Center staff, faculty, students and researchers on their behind-the-scenes environmental work.

Topics that will be covered include the Toledo water crisis, the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, invasive species, controlling harmful algae blooms, local fish and fisheries, wetland restoration, and phosphorus runoff.

“In light of recent national media attention regarding the Toledo water crisis, in conjunction with the analyses conducted in our laboratories, we felt compelled to prominently showcase our abilities to measure the well-being of the Great Lakes through an array of different scientific testing mediums,” said Alexander Hughes, communication and technology specialist at the UT Lake Erie Center.

The center, 6200 Bayshore Road in Oregon, is an interdisciplinary research and education site located near the northwestern corner of Ohio’s Maumee Bay State Park. It is dedicated to improving the environmental condition, ecosystems services, natural resources, and sustainability of Lake Erie and its watersheds, as well as enhancing education for students and the public.
Researchers use the center to explore the interaction between the Western Lake Erie Basin and the Maumee River and Maumee Bay, using the results to investigate the link among land use, aquatic resources, water quality, sustainable living and human health.

“In the end, we hope to raise awareness for what can be done individually to help preserve our ecosystem as well as mitigate the anxieties of our community by demonstrating the efforts in motion by our researchers to protect the world’s largest surface fresh water supply,” Hughes said.

For more information about the free, public event, contact Hughes at alexander.hughes@utoledo.edu or 419.530.8361.

Tags: Lake Erie Center